<p>I'm currently a senior in high school, and as May 1st creeps up, I really need to make a decision for college! I'm from Ohio, so i'll be out of state, & i'm going on a college visit to UCF in a few weeks to check out Orlando. I just want to know what it's like, how you like it, & if you would recommend it!
I want to major in biology or exercise physiology/science. I'm pretty smart & outgoing. i have no problem making friends & i'm extremelyyyyy involved in school clubs & organizations. Do you think it'll be right for a person like me? and what about the city of orlando? I've lived in a semi-ghetto & "not as rich" area my entire life & i'm ready for a change. The decision is hard & want to make sure it's worth my money (hence the out of state!) & my time. I won't be living on campus, i'de be commuting (living with a relative).
I'm just scared, I won't know a soul out there but I just need to try something new & I want to make sure that i make a right decision.</p>
<p>Hello Rozayyy, and congratulations on your acceptance to UCF! My daughter was also an out-of-state student, graduated from UCF in 2011 and is working in her field! She also did not know a soul going in, but was ready for a change and met kids from Orientation on! You will not find a nicer group of kids anywhere, and I can tell you the administration walks the walk in concern for their students! The campus is beautiful, everything is so new and there is always something going on. My daughter still goes to the football games and we had a great time tailgating with her on family weekends! If you haven’t toured the campus yet I think you will be impressed with the facilities, and even as an out of state student the tuition is very competitive. Plus the weather is fabulous! Don’t worry about not living on campus; if you get involved you will meet plenty of people, just put yourself out there. By the way, UCF is located about 20-25 minutes from the city of Orlando. It is really suburban, very nice area with fun shopping and restaurants nearby. My daughter now works in the city and lives downtown and loves it! One last thing, UCF has the medical school so that may give you opportunities to explore aspects of your intended major as time goes on. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I am going as an out of state student as well from Oklahoma, so I’m in the same boat. I really don’t like the area where I live, and I got an OOS scholarship so of course I am taking it. Having been to Orlando myself a few times, its a great city and has a lot of culture. I’ve never been to the UCF campus (going for orientation June 16), but everyone says it is great. As long as you don’t sit in your dorm and be antisocial I’m sure you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>One more thing for out of state students! Check out the out of state student mentoring program. My daughter joined and had a blast…special trips, activities, and her mentor was a grad student who hosted her little group for BBQs and such. It was a great transition from home to college life, and she met a lot of friends right away. It started early in the year and the OOS kids were able to choose a day trip, like theme parks, surfing, etc. and the mentoring groups went from there. My D ended up rooming with a few of the girls and still keeps in touch. Of course she met and became friends with lots of in state kids, too, and now she is a Floridian!</p>
<p>I go to school in Ohio but I’m transferring back to Florida! You’ll love UCF if you decide to go there. I know a lot of people there and go there a lot. It’s a great school and all around great environment</p>
<p>I’ve lived in Orlando for close to 30 years – UCF is nothing more than a southern diploma mill. I’ll spare you ALL the anecdotes. Oh, ok – the undergrad business major delivered almost entirely via web courses. feh!</p>
<p>.02</p>
<p>@bn12gg what do you mean by diploma mill.? Also is UCF a good school for cs/ce.? Thanks</p>
<p>Sent from my HTC One X using CC</p>
<p>Hi bn12gg, Are you a parent of a UCF student or alumnus? I’m sorry you had a negative experience. My daughter’s friends who graduated with business degrees took all of their classes on campus, with the exception of one friend who had an internship in Tampa one semester, so it was more convenient for him to do a couple courses online so he wasn’t commuting every day. All of my daughter’s friends are either working in their fields, or pursuing advanced degrees, and they graduated when the economy was hitting rock bottom! Most had excellent internships while in school in areas such as health sciences, engineering, hospitality (event, hotel, restaurant, golf course, and theme park management), social media, etc. In addition, my experience as a parent was that despite the huge student population there is a sense of community, and the administration cares about the students.</p>
<p>you will love ucf! im off campus and have had no problems getting involved, im in 7 clubs on campus already! theres a shuttle that takes you to campus and a shuttle from ucf on the weekends that will take you to the stores as well as downtown orlando for free!! i love it because you meet so many people here and although its a big school youll find that a lot of people know each other in some way or form its a small world! my advice if you have facebook join the ucf group page for your class i have met a lot of people through there and has helped with my transition to college.</p>
<p>I appreciate these posts. We hope to visit UCF this fall and from everything I’m reading, it sounds like it might be a great match for my kid. We’re OOS too.</p>
<p>UCF is a bad school. Yes you will have fun …but in the long run your not going to be as successful as somebody who went to OSU or UF or any other good school. Bad choice bro unless ur valedictorian.</p>
<p>Ahamdanilbhs, I see that you have posted a number of very negative posts regarding UCF in the last day or so. From your other posts on CC, it appears you were not offered admission due to your stats. If you are successful at Seminole you should be able to transfer in to a FL public university. I think your posts lead people to believe that you are or were a student in the engineering program at UCF. Please clarify because I know many alumni and they have fantastic jobs in the industry. The engineering program was one of the first established in the college and is very well regarded. I know for a fact that the engineering interns are sought after and well paid by local companies, such as Lockheed Martin. Best of luck to you as you begin your college career, and though you may be disappointed with UCF right now, your student status at Seminole gives you standing to participate in UCF events, so I hope you make the most of it!</p>
<p>Well my dreams are little bigger than a little local engineering job in Orlando … im thinking bigger schools with a great band name. Ive been on a lot of the school’s engineering sites and they all give me a little more depth into the major at the school… doesn’t … I don’t want party school on my resume also. … I was offered admission to ucf though for the summer.</p>
<p>^^^If you can get accepted to MIT/Stanford/UC-Berkeley/Caltech, by all means go. However, not being UF does not make UCF a “bad” school. And really, what’s wrong with an engineering job in Orlando? That’s hardly a negative.</p>
<p>By all means share any reasons you think someone shouldn’t choose UCF, but try to use valid reasons (stats would be great) and not simply personal preferences. Clearly UCF is not right for everyone (and neither is UF or even MIT).</p>
<p>By the way, undergraduate college reputation matters very little in Engineering, other than helping you land your first job or a grad position. Once you’re working, the engineering industry simply doesn’t give that match weight to which school you went to for your “ABET” accredited BS degree, but on your work experience and proven capability. </p>
<p>Good luck in your search! :)</p>
<p>To clarify: when I mentioned Lockheed Martin, I was referring to the highly paid internship opportunities afforded to students during their time at UCF. I wouldn’t characterize LM as a “little local engineering job” but we are certainly entitled to our opinions! In any event, having quality internship experience certainly increases your chances of starting on your intended career path immediately upon graduation. </p>
<p>Gator88NE, well said! I hope the OP finds a good fit; it makes all the difference in one’s college experience!</p>